Month: February 2022

Mystery

The Word is Murder ( A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery Book 1,) by Anthony Horowitz

Kristie

“Words are, I suppose, my life.”

Everyone has choices. To be honest or to lie. To live for yourself or for others. To fulfill your own dreams or become part of a legacy. To follow the rules of convention…or not.

And what about the rules of writing a mystery? Reading this book made me think of them for the first time. Are there rules? Who makes them? Can any be broken when the story is everything?

Why is this important? Because in this book “about the creation of a book” the author creates an entirely new set of rules. He is the writer, the character, the sidekick, the filter, and the visionary. In real life, Anthony Horowitz is a novelist and screenwriter. In the book he is too. He, like this alter ego of the same name, worked on shows like Midsomer Murders (great show) and Foyle’s War (in my queue.) But in the book he accompanies a fictional Hawthorne–rumpled, evasive, brilliant, retired detective Daniel Hawthorne–on a murder case he is consulting on for the police. The outcome may or may not be the core of the upcoming novel. Diana Cowper has been strangled. Not very original, except she was murdered six hours after meticulously planning her own funeral.

The relationship between the fictional Horowitz and the detective Hawthorne is mercurial, to say the least. How does an author create a character based on someone when he refuses to divulge personal details? These two bicker like an old married couple, but they admire each other too. And, while the murder’s solution isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, this is more about the journey than the destination. A unique and entertaining journey.

9/10 Stars

Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel

Kristie

Once again, a book with numerous accolades has lived up to my expectations. It is also one more example of the incredible stories, both true and fictional, that have been born out of the tragedies of World War II.

Present day. It is 2005, and widowed Eva Traub-Abrams is living in Florida. She sees a German scholar on the news, holding an old book with no owner, recovered from piles of artifacts looted by the Nazis. She recognizes the book and is determined to retrieve it. Suddenly, sixty years disappear and Eva is transported to her own experience during the war.

The majority of the story takes place during that time, beginning in 1942, when Eva was a young woman. Jewish, born in France to Polish parents, her life is about to change forever. Formerly a student at the Sorbonne, her artistic skills are noticed and used to help those who cannot help themselves.

Eva experiences love and loss over the next few years, intensified by the dark cloud of war and the threat of capture, but we are anchored to the knowledge that she survives into old age. The main idea that came to my mind while reading was how war blurs some lines and makes others more distinct. Family and religion are no longer about blood relations and baptism. They are about connections and faith. The definitions of right and wrong also take on new meaning when survival is everything. The caveat, of course, being that everyone thinks they are doing the right thing.

This is a unique plot that looks at a group of people I’ve never seen profiled in historical fiction. We are reminded that the will to live can change one’s belief system, and no one knows what they are truly capable of until they are forced out of their comfort zone and placed into seemingly impossible situations. We are also reminded that, one way or another, God makes all things right.

9.5/10 Stars

Autobiography, Memoir, Nonfiction

Val Kilmer: I’m Your Huckleberry, by Val Kilmer

Kristie

Do you ever finish a book and sit in awe at the beauty you’ve just witnessed? That is how I feel having just completed Val Kilmer’s autobiography. It is, hands down, the best memoir I’ve ever read.

If you’ve ever seen him as Doc Holliday in Tombstone (the greatest modern western EVER) or his embodiment of Jim Morrison in The Doors, you know that Val Kilmer is a dynamic force onscreen, able to morph into a character while he, himself, disappears. Like his idol and mentor, Marlon Brando, he purposefully chose parts that were difficult. If you’re not constantly challenging yourself, what’s the point?

Then his greatest tool, his voice, was cruelly taken away by throat cancer and its subsequent treatments. The swagger is gone too, replaced by introspection and humility. Why do the great ones lose what’s most important to their work? It seems so unfair. I was reminded of Beethoven losing his hearing and Renoir’s hands crippled by arthritis. Except a true artist will carry on, as exemplified here.

This is a brilliant man who peppers his book with words like equanimity, quixotic, autodidact, and digestif. Thank goodness for the Kindle dictionary link. But not once do you feel you are being talked down to, instead, you’re being elevated and forced to challenge yourself as well. And the profanity that often slithers into celebrity autobiographies? There is none. A wordsmith like Val has no use for curse words in telling his story. They are for the lazy.

Connections to people, nature, and art in all its forms constantly propel him. I loved learning about his devotion to Mark Twain’s writings, his Christian Science faith, and his adoration for his children, Mercedes and Jack. I’ve seen them interviewed and the feeling is clearly mutual. He’s worked hard not to repeat the tenuous relationship he had with his own father.

I can understand why this book was a bestseller. It isn’t just because he starred in several blockbusters. People may buy it for that reason, but they will read it and recommend it for another. It is masterful. Just because his voice is gone, does not mean Kilmer will be silenced. Stay strong, Val. We can still hear you.

10/10 Stars

P.S. I’m going to do something I’ve never done, and that is to provide a link to my highlights. Visit it. You’ll see what I mean. https://www.goodreads.com/notes/48670913-i-m-your-huckleberry/2633306-kristie?ref=bsop

Fiction

Half a Heart, by Karen McQuestion

Kristie

A selectively mute runaway, a determined grandma, an empty-nester, and a good-hearted childless couple. These are the characters we follow in Karen McQuestion’s Half a Heart.

After reading two of her books in two days, I’m starting to notice the way this author creates a plot. I wish I had her skill for storytelling. She takes people who are unlikely to meet and finds a creative way to make their paths converge. It’s very interesting to observe. First we see everyone independently, then, little by little, their lives begin to overlap until they are completely intertwined. Like patches on a quilt being stitched together and the finished product is a beautiful thing.

While Half a Heart did not have the same intensity as The Moonlight Child, it is still a very good read. I appreciate how McQuestion (isn’t that a great name?) crafts her characters, making them so full-bodied and realistic. You almost forget you’re reading fiction. She’s able to weave her plots with almost no profanity and is terrific at getting into each person’s psyche. Most of all, it is reassuring to read about kind, decent people who triumph in the face of trials. I look forward to reading more by this author.

8.5/10 Stars

Fiction, Mystery

The Moonlight Child, by Karen McQuestion

Kristie

There are those who are placed in horrible situations, yet remain good. There are those placed in good situations, yet remain horrible. Both types of people are profiled in Karen McQuestion’s The Moonlight Child.

There are also three families, broken in their own way and navigating life after loss. Like people we have all come in contact with, most of them are decent humans who are doing their best. One is not. Really, really not.

I am going to keep this review brief and vague. Just know that The Moonlight Child is a riveting story that has you holding your breath until the end. The characters are living, breathing, and multi-faceted. You will root for most and be appalled by one. But all of them are worth your time.

Carve out a few hours because this one is hard to put down.

9.5/10 Stars

Cozy Mysteries, Fiction, Mystery, Series & Collections

Her Royal Spyness Series, by Rhys Bowen

Kristie

I have spent the last month devouring this series. It is, perhaps, the most delightful, entertaining series I’ve ever read. If you like cozy mysteries with a bit of Phryne Fisher and Downtown Abbey tossed into the mix, these books are for you.

Set in the 1930’s with the effects of World War 1 still felt and and the shadow of World War 2 looming in the future, our heroine is Lady Georgiana Rannoch. She is the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, granddaughter of the Duke of Rannoch on one side and a retired policeman on the other. At the beginning of the series she is living in Scotland in the drafty family castle, Castle Rannoch, with her half-brother and his unpleasant wife. Her prospects seem bleak.

But Georgie has an ace up her sleeve. Despite being a minor royal (34th in line for the throne,) she is well-liked by Queen Mary (grandmother to the current monarch, Elizabeth II.) Between minor assignments from the queen to keep an eye on “that American woman” trying to seduce her son, David (the future Edward VIII,) running into her flamboyant mother who ran out on her; sassy best friend, Belinda Warburton-Stoke; her hopeless maid, Queenie; and the mysterious but handsome Darcy O’Mara, each book brings a new adventure. We journey with Georgie from Scotland to England, France, Bulgaria, Italy, Ireland, and even Kenya.

I recommend this series highly and suggest reading the books in order. There are ongoing subplots that necessitate it. The first is available with an Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription, while others may be in your online library. Of course, they’re available to purchase too.

There are many aspects that make this series fun, but, if you know a bit of British history, you’ll enjoy constant run-ins with the royal family and Mrs. Wallis Simpson (who enjoys a healthy social competition with Georgie’s mother, Claire.)

All in all a wonderful group of characters to cozy up with during the winter months.

9.5/10 Stars

P.S. There is also a short prequel “book 0.5” called Masked Ball at Broxley Manor. It’s only 40 pages and not essential to the story, but still enjoyable.

Autobiography, Entertainment, Memoir, Nonfiction

Born Standing Up, by Steve Martin

Kristie

If you grew up in the 1970s and 80s, you will remember a specific group of comedians that rose to fame during that time. There was the unparalleled original Saturday Night Live cast and there were those who worked from a different direction, like Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, and Steve Martin to name a few.

The older I get, the more I appreciate Steve Martin’s brand of comedy, which has also matured. His depth and brilliance is equally apparent when he takes on serious film roles. If you’ve never seen him in The Spanish Prisoner, see it. Recently I watched Shopgirl for the first time, with a screenplay written by Steve Martin based on his novella of the same name. These are worthwhile departures from his earlier films and he surrounds himself with cerebral, high quality actors in both.

I knew Steve Martin was originally from Waco, Texas. I knew he once worked in the magic shop at Disneyland. I knew he played the banjo with great proficiency. I knew it was a delight and an honor to see him perform live twice with the Steep Canyon Rangers (in Los Angeles and Eugene, Oregon.) But I knew nothing about his childhood and the years of paying his dues.

Like many comedians, Steve Martin’s humor was born out of pathos and melancholy, partly innate and partly inflicted upon him by others. His mother was his shining light while his father was critical, moody, and envious.
Success brought other demons, as it often does.

In a brief two hundred pages and with a deft, fluid style, we travel in that time machine called memory back to simpler decades when a young boy and then young man sought escapism and validation through performing. Never delving much into his personal life except when it intersected with his career, Martin confirms his status as one at the top of his profession. He is a student of the science of comedy, always working to refine, improve, and evolve his technique. In a time where modern celebrities are often famous because of their lifestyles, it was refreshing to read about someone whose success came because of tenacity and a doggedly determined work ethic. In this ever-increasingly serious world, we need people like this.

9/10 Stars